Chapter 14: Welcome Home

Jet: Okay, before this chapter starts there's something I need to bring up, and that is… GOOD GOD THE LAST OF US IS FUCKING AWESOME! I'm not kidding, I beat that game and I still can't put it down. Seriously, if you are a Naughty Dog fan and for some unknown reason you haven't gotten this game yet… Stop reading this, grab a few bucks and go buy it, right now. It is that good. Hell, just in general, if you don't have this game yet, stop reading, turn off your computer, phone or what every you are using to read this and go buy it. It is a really good game.

Penny: Easy Jet, you're starting to scare me.

Jet: Sorry, but this game so good, I haven't been this into a game since the Jak and Daxter games were new.

Jak: Why am I felling replaced?

Jet: Oh, don't worry Jak; I'll still work on my fan fics about you. Trust me; no one can ever replace you.

Jak: Thanks… can we just get this story done now?

Jet: Okay, here's the last chapter every one.

Mar was sleeping, no- not sleeping, at least not any more. He was slowly waking up. He could hear loud bangs and a roar; he opened his eyes and at first all he could see where just blurred shapes and colors, slowly the shapes became clearer to him. He saw someone fighting with a monster, the man looked familiar but he couldn't remember who he was. Mar was glad he was wherever he was and not down there with that scary thing. Mar looked around himself; he seemed to be inside of a strange ball. The little boy watched Jak fight the monster, slowly the ball started to move closer to the ground. Mar didn't like this and tried to get out of the ball. Mar saw the monster fall, and the ball rested on the ground as the monster grew wings and tried to fly through the ring. He didn't make it however; he hit the bottom of it and the energy of the ring caused him to explode. The ball that surrounded Mar popped and Mar covered his eyes as the monster's head landed next to him. Mar looked at it, he was scared of it, but a glowing green light caught his eye. Mar looked at it: in the center was the same symbol that he had around his neck. Mar touched it and something flew out of it and spoke, "It is finished. Our ancient enemy is no more". The entity said. The man put his hand on Mar's shoulders. "Take hope brave one, the terrible darkness inside you is now balanced by a glorious light." The entity started to fly into the ring, Mar tried to catch it as it disappeared, "We will meet again."

Mar saw a balloon fly in and land, "We haven't much time." A woman said, "I've set the coordinates back to our village. Let's go home everyone."

"But we are home." The man standing behind Mar said.

Samos or someone who looked like Samos said something but Mar didn't catch it because he was looking at a little bird. Mar tried to jump onto the balloon but he was too small. He felt the man grab him and put him on the balloon. Mar walked over to the strange machine and looked inside and saw Keira sleeping in the seat; he smiled, happy to see his friend again. The man walked up to him, "Hey kid," Mar looked at him as the orange rodent jumped off his shoulder, "you take care. Oh, and trust me on this," he knelt down so he was more at eye level with him, "Stay away from any wumpbee nests on your ninth birthday, okay?" Mar nodded obediently. The man picked him up and put him on the strange device. Mar gave the man his amulet; he didn't know what it meant and he didn't know why he wore it but that symbol kept showing up and the little boy just didn't get it- he just felt this man would have more use for it than he would, the man took it and smiled as the machine started to move, Mar waved good-bye.

"I'll take good care of them," Samos called, "and don't worry I'll be back in time for the celebration. Farewell." And then all Mar could see was a blue blur.

He grabbed onto the bar and Samos grabbed Keira who was woken by the violent shaking, "Daddy?!" She said.

Samos held her, "Don't worry Keira, everything's going to be okay." And then in a blinding light the rider was sliding to a halt as they came out into a clear sunny day. Mar looked over the rider and just saw the ocean.

"Are you alright?" He heard someone call.

Samos grabbed Mar and pulled both him and Keira got out of the rider and away from the edge of where they were standing, "We're fine."

Mar looked to see two people standing there, a man and a woman, both with blond hair. "Who are you?" The man asked.

"I am Samos. This is my daughter, Keira." He said, putting his hand on Keira's shoulder. "And this is… Jak."

Mar looked at Samos; that name was familiar, the young boy wasn't sure if that was his real name or not- but at least it was a name.

The younger looking man simply nodded, "I am Gol Acheron." He introduced himself, "And this is my sister- MAYA!"

Maya was floating in the air, "What?" She asked, clearly annoyed by her brother.

"You know we can't use our powers like that."

Maya just looked at Gol, "If it was up to you, dear brother, we wouldn't use our powers at all."

"This is why father chose me to be the sage, you are too careless."

"And you are a coward, who's scared of his own power." Maya flew to the edge and looked back at them, "Mommy and Daddy aren't around anymore, brother, we don't have to listen to anything they have said, let me know when you figure that out." And with that she jumped off. Jak and Keira ran to the edge and looked down so see her fly away.

"I'm sorry about my sister." Gol said, looking at Samos, "She hasn't been the same since our father died. She wasn't on the best terms with him when he died, more because he chose me to be the sage over her."

"I can see why." Samos said, "If you don't mind my asking- what type of eco are you the sage of?"

"Dark eco." Gol said, almost sounding ashamed.

Samos looked at him, "You want to be careful; dark eco is not something to be taken lightly."

Gol smiled, "You sound like my father. You're the green sage, what we've been waiting for, aren't

you?"

"Yes."

Gol nodded, "Follow me, I'll take you to your village, the people have been waiting for you for a long time."

Samos nodded and then he looked back at the rift rider, "Gol, can I ask a favor?"

"Certainly."

"Can you hide that some place safe?" He pointed to the rider, "I'm going to need it again in a few years."

Gol looked at it, "I'll take care of it."

"Keira, Jak." Samos called, "Come along." The two toddlers ran to stand next to him. Gol stepped on a button and they began to head down.

Gol led them through his home, as they walked Samos and Gol talked as Jak and Keira followed them, "What did you mean the people have been waiting for me?"

Gol looked at him and smiled, "Well for a long time there was only a dark eco sage solely to keep the dark eco near the surface in check. But in recent years other people with sage-like power over eco have been showing up all in different villages. Tell me, have you ever lived in a place called Sandover?"

Samos chuckled to himself, "You could say that."

"I guessed as much, the other sages have been living in their old villages, it seems that where they lived defined what eco they had power over. I don't know why."

"I take in Sandover is a place over flowing with green eco."

"Yes." Gol said as they reached the warp gate, "You shall see for yourself." And with that Samos jumped through first, followed by Keira, then Jak, and finally Gol. They came out in a large hut; Samos recognized it as the old hut in Dead Town but Jak and Keira didn't; the two toddlers didn't know that were standing in a dead part of Haven city, they didn't know that they had traveled through time and they didn't know that they were standing in the old village of Sandover. And suddenly something hit Samos: Torn, Tess and the rest of the underground, the people that had become like family to him… he wouldn't see them again for a very long time.

Gol said good-bye and left them to get settled. Jak and Keira ran down the ramp to the lower level of the hut and looked out at the village. The two ran across the bridges into the village and Samos ran after them. Jak ran ahead of Keira as they dashed through the village, but then Jak collided with someone. He looked up to see a man looking at him, "Are you alright?" The man asked, helping Jak back up onto his feet. Jak nodded as Keira stopped and Samos came up behind them trying to catch his breath. "Are these your kids?" The man asked.

"She is." Samos said, catching his breath.

"What about this boy?"

"He is my responsibility, yes."

"But he's not your son?"

"No."

The man looked at him. "Where do you live boy?" He asked. Jak just looked at him, confused; he didn't know where he lived. "Do you not have a home?" Again, Jak just looked at him. Empathy filled the man's expression, "Why don't you stay with me, you look like an adventurous little boy. I'm sure we will get along just fine."

"And what makes you say that?" Samos asked.

"I'm an explorer, and I've been trying to find someone to share my adventures with and this young man seemed just right to me."

Samos looked at Jak; fact was, Jak was going to have to learn many things if he was going someday

become the man that Samos knew he would, and although Samos could teach him right from wrong, Jak was going to need to be more than that- he needed to be curious about the world around him and a quick thinker who knew how to get himself out of tight spots, and Samos didn't think he could teach Jak to be like that. Jak was going to need someone like this explorer to guide him to that. But still… there was the fact that Jak was the only hope the world had and Samos was not going to take that fact lightly. So Samos just looked at the man, "I'm sorry but this boy is just too important, I have no problem spending time with you but the fact is he is my responsibly." The man looked at Samos, a little let down but understanding. Samos looked at the nearby beach and smiled at Jak and Keira, "What do you two say to us spending a day at the beach?" The two toddlers just looked at him confused and Samos laughed, they had no idea what a beach was. Samos lead them to the beach and let them play.

A full two weeks past and Mar -or Jak as every came to know him- couldn't remember being this happy, he didn't know where he was, but the fact was that he felt safer and happier than he had ever been and Haven city and his past life there was quickly becoming a distant memory to both him and to Keira.

Jak was free, Samos quickly came to trust everyone in the village and would let Jak wander around the small village alone if he liked; there was no danger here. And there was no place the two year old loved to be more then at the explorer's hut. The man showed him maps and pointed to places on them that he had been, he told Jak stories of far way places and things that the young boy had never even thought of. Jak tended to spend all his time there and Samos saw how happy Jak was hearing the man's stories, so Samos finally agreed to let Jak say with the explorer that had already taken to calling himself Jak's uncle.

Haven had become a distant memory to the boy. And for now the lost prince could live a safe and care-free life. He would soon meet the boy that was going to be his best friend and, even with the warning from his older self, he would still wind up finding that wumpbee nest on his ninth birthday. And someday he and Daxter would go to that island and all this will happen again.

Jet: Not long but still I like the way this came out. Once again I have my BFF to thank for fixating my mistakes. And also I thank everyone who left a comment for this story. Really if I didn't get feedback like I did I don't think I'd be writing.

Jak: Really?

Jet: Don't get your hopes up. So everyone my next story is going to be a bunch of shorts about Jak, Keira and Daxter growing up in Sandover. I don't know when I'll be doing that so keep an eye out. Bye for now. And go buy The Last of Us, right now.

Penny: Jet, you're turning into a commercial.

Jet: I love that game.